Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Shack Update

The Shack has now sold over 7 million copies in a little more than a year and a half. Not bad for a book that was published by a couple of guys working out of their garage and an author who wrote the book for his children to try to explain his amazing encounter with grace and the Father's love.

Scroll further down to see about taking a survey asking why you loved it, hated it or maybe never even heard of it.

You can see and hear more of Wayne Jacobsen at www.lifestream.org

Ideas worth listening to, especially if you disagree.

The following are a few blogs by Wayne Jacobsen.

His Love is Overwhelming

This email arrived in my inbox this morning and I wanted to share it here, not for the kudos it offers to me, but for the encouragement it might offer others who live where this woman has lived. I hope we all know by know that only God can win someone to his love and affection. Don’t get me wrong. That some of the things I’ve been involved in provided a conduit for him to be revealed in her is wonderful and encouraging to be sure. But the larger story is of how God makes his love known to people who have not known a lot of love in their lives. I want to share her story because I know there are hundreds if not thousands like her out there.

They were raised in the demands of a religion devoid of love. They didn’t find it from their overly-religious parents, and never found it whatever kind of “faith community” they were raised in. But God never gives up. He pursues us with a love that can overwhelm all of our failures and hurts.

If you’ve never known God’s love for you, don’t give up. Just keep asking him to make it real to you. And if you know God’s love be aware that some person like this one may cross your path today and perhaps God can give them a glimpse of himself through you. Perhaps a smile or a gracious word from you might open a door that will allow God to find someone he has been looking for, for a long time.

Words will not come close to expressing my thanks to you for your book He Loves Me. I was born into a pastor’s home. There was no real love but lots of condemnation. I didn’t hear God’s love preached from the pulpit. My childhood was an extremely sad place. When I was six I went forward to accept Jesus as my Savior six nights in a row at children’s camp. When my father asked me why, I replied, “Because I’m not too good saved yet”.

That has been my journey. No love at home so I couldn’t believe that God loved me. To say I have struggled with God would be a huge understatement. I have walked away for years at a time, come back when I was hurting from my choices of looking for the love and approval I so sought.

Last June after a particularly hard time I heard about the book The Shack. Oh my goodness! It tore apart all the false beliefs and showed me a Papa I had longed for. I’ve shared that book with my friends and talked about it to anyone who will listen! Over the next months I read So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore. That book knocked my socks off. Then came along He Loves Me. “WOW!” is all I can say. Papa will have to bring to your heart the understanding of how powerful your book has been in my heart and my life. It has changed everything. Even that is a big understatement.

Wayne, one day we will meet in heaven and I just to warn you, I am going to be the one who jumps up and down telling you about how Papa used you in my life. We are now studying your book in our Bible Study and the women are loving it. Thank you for the remarkable work he doing in my life because of finally understanding HIS LOVE.

I think God did let me in on what happened in her heart. I teared up reading this. I can only imagine what it must be like for someone who has never known love to find for it full and free inside God himself. Isn’t that what the gospel is all about? We all have a Father that loves us more than anyone on this planet ever has or ever will.

His Love is Overwhelming Part 2

After my last blog posting I got this response from a woman who now pastors in Illinois It continues the conversation in a wonderful way:

I just read the e-mail you posted on your blog. I also just recently read your book. Wow!! I realized that there are probably countless individuals who can relate to the individual who was raised in a “religious” home where “law” was enforced and mercy and love were absent.

I was also raised in a home where my Pastor father was an amazing and gracious and loving man and my mother was broken and extremely “religious”. I never knew whether she would grab a Bible or a belt. For many years I believed I deserved only punishment and judgment. I believed I could never and would never be good enough to face a Holy and righteous God. What I didn’t realize was that Jesus loved me and was pursuing me passionately. As I was running I encountered HIM.

His love completely overwhelmed me and today I am free at last….free at last!!! When I read your book I was once again reminded of his amazing and everlasting love. I truly believe that we all need a revelation of God’s great love for us and to hear of his love over and over again. I have always believed that Billy Graham has had such an overwhelming response to the invitations he gives because when ANYONE who is lost or hurting hears the first few words of “JUST AS I AM” it is just so powerful. You have written a simple and most POWERFUL book of love. Thank you from my heart!!!!!! I love him because he first loved me.

The Shack Reader Survey

Can I ask for your help?

Windblown Media has been approached by a doctrinal candidate at Regent University to help conduct a survey of readers to gauge the impact of this book on the population. The book has now reached its 43rd week at the top of the NY Times bestseller list and over 7 million copies are in print.

They are looking for a broad cross section of people to respond to this survey, so please feel free to post this request and the survey link on your blog or forums that you regularly participate in.

Here is their request: “As researchers, we would like to understand what you think of the best-selling novel by William Paul Young (Copyright 2008, Windblown Media). Your answers will be extremely helpful in helping us to understand the story’s influence and appeal.”

You can take the survey here.

Take a minute, and help them out, will you?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Rich Dad Poor Dad Cashflow Quadrant

Why do I post network marketing ideas on my let's rethink church site?
The reality is that our job is to care for people and we need money to do so. Churches say the same thing. That's why they take up an offering every week. Essentially churches are businesses that are structured on the traditional corporate model. Where they differ is that instead of getting paid, the workers (parishioners) pay their pastor to tell them to work.

I promote the network marketing business philosophy simply because it promotes teamwork and equality in the making of money. People can then choose how they want to use that money for caring for others. As their business grows they can be responsive to whatever their heart is telling them. That might mean changing locations or banding together with a few others to build an orphanage. They never need to make emotional pleas asking for money. Prayer becomes a matter of hearing from God and doing what He says.

This is why I want to be in business and network marketing allows me the privilege of helping others succeed in business as well.

The Biggest Challenge of Going into Business.

Robert Kiyosaki explains the cashflow quadrants. Many people struggling with finances have a difficult time moving to the right side of the quadrant. The biggest roadblock isn't technical skills or opportunity. The biggest battle is with ourselves and making the emotional shift from desiring security to living financially free.








Monday, March 23, 2009

What’s Wrong With Being a Pharisee?

In most Christian thought processes the term Pharisee is offensive since it was this group that were ultimately responsible for putting Jesus on the cross. The other negative aspects of being labeled a Pharisee was that they were cruel, hard-hearted and very legalistic. No one could fault them for their zealousness as they believed in their system and sacrificed greatly to go over land and sea to convince others to do the same.

On the positive side, they were faithful to the word of God and were not just hearers of the word but believed that it must be applied to their daily lives. With that approach, how could they have missed Messiah, the very one that they were seeking after?

Easy. We all have a tendency to go down the same path as them. We create a thought process or system that we end up serving rather than the one who never did what others expected. I’m simply a recovering Pharisee and when I realize that, it helps me re-examine some of my motives and interactions with others. My heart says I don’t want to be a Pharisee, cuz a Pharisee’s not fair, you see. But my actions are not always in alignment with my heart.

The secret to not being one is really quite simple. Allow yourself to be one for a while and interact with Jesus like they did. Don’t think of yourself as being better or above them. And then ask Jesus to break through the blindness and reveal himself in a deeper way to you.

How do we do this? Read the gospels daily. Don’t get caught reading the Bible everyday without reading the gospels everyday. Read them as the stories that they are meant to be, not teachings but stories that reveal Jesus to us as He interacted with his world. Put yourself in the stories playing different roles. Be a leper that Jesus cleansed. Be a leper that didn’t come back and say thank you when he was healed. Be the woman at the well. Experience her surprise when she “discovered” the living water. Be an onlooker and feel their disgust when Jesus talked to this sinful woman.

Anoint Jesus’ feet with tears and perfume and realize that there were others condescendingly looking on. Allow yourself to be Judas arguing that her gift could have been better used for the poor, while secretly lusting to control more money. What was it like to be a people forsaken, money grubber like Zaccheaus, and then have Jesus invite himself to his house for a party? What unbridled joy caused him to pay back all that he had extorted from others? Did everyone accept him after his “conversion”?

What about being the person Jesus was talking to when he said, "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' Matthew 25:16
I discovered a modern day application of this passage when I was surprised to discover that I had been teaching and practicing tithing to a local church, ahead of family or the needs of the desperately poor? This actually didn't make things easier since many of my friends believe and teach tithing is to be done first. They now see me as one who robs God. I had to come to grips with following my heart and not the crowd and letting others have the freedom to do the same. BTW: I find it easier to do the former rather than the latter. Yeppers, I'm still a recovering Pharisee.

Imagine being a Pharisee at Jesus’ first miracle when they would have been enraged that He used the water from their ritual washing pots to make wine. Do you think they enjoyed His wine? Would your conscience let you enjoy His wine today?

Try to imagine being one of Jesus’ followers who had no hope inside themselves immediately following the crucifixion. Or what if you were Mary who discovered the empty tomb and nobody believed you that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Jesus broke all of the man made rules and showed them mercy, justice and faithfulness. Step into the shoes of every person that saw Jesus face to face. Experience their joy, anger, sadness, confusion, disappointment, peace… as he upset every system that they had learned to trust while loving them more than life itself. If He were to walk in our world today, do you think it's possible that he would offend any of the groups that are following Him with their whole heart?

There's a well known acronym, WWJD, What would Jesus Do? I think before we ask that question we might want to answer this one, WDJD, What did Jesus do?

The stories were written to help us be there, enjoy them. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to make them come alive in order to know Jesus as He is meant to be known today. Don't be surprised when you are surprised.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

You + 2 = This Rocks

Click on this.

These guys did it in
11 days!




So can you!!


www.davidgrant.mtexpro.com

Saturday, March 14, 2009

How Do You Make Money?

Do you remember being asked this question when you were a kid, "How will you make money when you grow up?" Of course not. We were generally asked, "What will you be when you grow up?" My son wanted to be a fire engine. The options were virtually unlimited. We could dream of being anything but then we grew up and realized that dreams were for kids. We needed to get practical and settle on something that would get us through life.

We learned the lesson that money really does make the world go round. And while we certainly didn't want to end up serving the next dollar, no one doubts that having money is more than a little useful.

Somehow, I missed the lesson that there were only 4 categories for making money. I certainly never considered looking at the pros and cons of each model. And yet HOW we make money will determine many things in our lives: how we spend our time, where we live, who we hang out with, who we will help, the number of children we will have and how much education we will need. These are just a few examples that show that determining how we make money will significantly impact our lives.

So how do people make money? Let's look at the 4 different categories that all jobs ultimately fit in. (I won't look at investments since this model tends to come after doing ok in the other categories.)

1

The first and most common category is simply working for someone else. What most people don't realize is that this model requires that you give up your time and abilities in order to make someone else money. Employees are often thankful to their employers for giving them their job, while in fact it is the owner who should thank them for making him/her a profit. This model usually requires a person to be tied to a specific location and income stream. Or in the case of management positions like banking, retail or the military, to be to told where to go and how long they will live in a particular location.

The cost of education is often a significant factor when one is determining how much they will eventually make when they go to work for someone else. There is often the expectation from employers that new employees will have already invested a significant amount of time and money in their education prior to being hired. When going for a job interview there are 2 questions that will inevitably be asked, "What is your educational background and how much experience do you have?" Employers love finding people that they don't have to invest in. Never mind that it often takes 3-7 years to be able to pay off educational debt and this is only if they get a well paying job.

The risk of being passed over for promotions because of favoritism or that others aren't pulling their weight is a constant point of frustration. That's why unions are often accepted and even desired. Equality is often the rallying word for employees. Employers tend to not like this idea at all. They would rather employees be subject to whatever they want, whenever they want it. Whether it be pouring coffee, managing a large group of people, being a minister in a church or even being a professor with a PhD at a university, everyone is simply an employee and are not free to come and go as they please.

They are also very vulnerable to changes in the economy or in the specific business that they are employed in. When I got into being a toolmaker 30 years ago, it was considered one of the best paying and secure of all the skilled trades. Today, I know a number of highly skilled tool and die makers that are now driving trucks due to advancements in technology and globalization.

The one thing that this model does not produce is the potential for financial equality between the workers and the owners or the educated and uneducated.

2

Category number 2 is the self-employed business model. Historically this was the most common model but as we moved away from an agrarian society, more people ended up working for someone else. This model makes you the master of your own destiny and you don't have to bow down to a boss. Not quite true, they often end up having to appease many bosses, their customers. This model includes jobs as diverse as a mechanic to a salesman to a farmer to a doctor and each one has this one thing in common: they are are always vulnerable to a catastrophic event such as sickness or an accident. And if a loved one needs more of their personal time, the self-employed person doesn't always have the freedom to respond to the need. Even a farmer is at the mercy of the weather while other occupations can be drastically effected by economic downturns in their particular area of expertise.

The challenge in this model is that the individual has to be more than just good at his particular skill but has to understand all aspects of making a business work. There is often a significant investment in hardware or education. The constant need to keep up with developing technologies, market trends and ongoing educational upgrades can be overwhelming at times. A mechanic friend says it this way, "I'm not sure if I own this business or if this business owns me."

3

The third category is owning a business. Essentially, all businesses are based on the simple principle of leveraging other people's time and skill to profit the owner. This model has the potential of producing significant profits for the owner. Bill Gates has done fairly well within this model.

However, the vast majority of people never even consider this possibility. The complexities of starting a business and seeing it through to success is a mountain few people are willing to climb and even fewer climb it successfully. 4 out 5 new businesses fail within less than 5 years. There are so many facets that have to be mastered: Research and Development, understanding market share and demographics, having a great product, hiring and firing, training and development of workers, warehousing, customer service, deliveries, accounting, sales, etc. The biggest hurdle of course is the initial start up capital and ongoing capital investment.

This is why many have opted to own franchises where much of the expertise necessary has been supplied through the franchise. It's why people are willing to invest $500,000 in a Tim Horton's. The rewards can be significant but the financial risk, emotional investment and the huge amount of personal time are still significant to anyone who dares to see the view from the top of this particular mountain.

The idea of teamwork is very popular in this model because the owner knows more can be accomplished by getting his employees working together. Naturally this improves his/her profit margin. Owners have all the power and even though this isn't always the best for the business or the employees, it is the reality. He/she took the monetary risk, so therefore deserves all the benefits. The fact that their employees took a lot of risk when committing themselves to the company is never even considered when it comes to critical decision making. This model never considers the idea of equality for all.

4

But there is a fourth category that is often misunderstood because it literally takes the best of each of the above categories without being cluttered with their inherent weaknesses. I never cease to be amazed by this, the most revolutionary of all business models, network marketing.

In its simplest form it requires little (no) financial risk like that of owning a traditional business but has the potential for anyone and everyone to enjoy financial freedom. It thrives by benefiting from the work of others without making a slave of anyone. It is a little like being self-employed in that one gets to use their skills and talents for their own advancement but without taking the risk of relying solely on oneself. It also gets to optimize the tax advantages only granted to business owners, something that hourly/salary workers never have the chance of doing. If personal circumstances demand more time, this business can continue to grow without direct involvement. Equality for all is the heartbeat of this business.

The one thing it doesn't bypass is that you must be willing to do some work and have some perseverance to get the job done. But unlike other jobs it doesn't take 30 years or a significant investment to achieve financial stability and freedom. The biggest challenge is that no one can ever force you to do the work since personal autonomy is one of the pillars in this model.

All businesses require the selling of something, whether it be a product or a service. And yet one of the most misunderstood aspects of this business is that it does not require everyone to be great at sales. Virtually anyone who is willing to help 2 or 3 others pass this model on to just 2 or 3 people, can enjoy the dream of becoming financially free.

Is it really this simple?

Yes!!

Why doesn't everyone do it? Why aren't more people successful in it?

The immediate concern for most people is that this business is involved in sales. Usually there is an initial response of a tightening of facial muscles, a knot in your stomach, breaking out in a cold sweat or in my case a combination of all 3. But when you consider that we all sell stuff everyday this response should be a little surprising.

All of us, spend most of our days selling something. Some have sold their skills and services to the highest bidder. That might mean being willing to stand at a drive thru pouring coffee while taking the next customer's order. Or another person may spend an exorbitant amount of money and time to become a forensic scientist and then have to sell their skills within a very limited, niche market. You may enjoy encouraging your friends to go to a great movie that you just saw. How many of us have been involved in advertising by wearing designer clothes with the logo prominently displayed? Do you know any Mac owners who seem to always be selling the idea of owning a Mac or the "need" we all have for an Iphone? You'd think they had stocks in the company. No matter what we do, there is rarely a day that goes by that we have not sold something, either products, services or ideas. What you didn't learn in kindergarten was that it is ok to get paid once in awhile for selling something.

Generally, we have been taught since kindergarten that our role in life will be to work for someone else. Since about 95% of what we learned programmed us to do just that, is it little wonder that this is how 95% of us make money? We were taught over and over that financial security is the dream and that happens only after many years of keeping our nose to the grindstone. We simply can't imagine that doing well financially can be relatively simple, quick, and easily shared with others. We definitely were never taught to measure personal financial success by how financially free we helped others to be.

That is far different than the single owner model where success is measured by how well one person manages to control a group of people. The employee model measures success with terms like reliability, teamwork, hard work and doing what you're told. Some may even get satisfaction that they made Sam Walton and his kids billionaires but I can't say that I really understand that kind of satisfaction. Becoming financially free while helping others become financially free is never a consideration within the self-employed model since others are not even part of the equation.

The Dream of Financial Freedom

Financial freedom is not the language, let alone a goal for most people. They have only thought in terms of letting their circumstances determine the limits of their dreams. Most people have never contemplated this simple question, "What would you do with your life, if money was not a consideration?"

Safety and security is the language that is used by owners to control their many workers. And while loyalty is often talked about, as soon as things get tough for a company, the first ones to pay the price are the loyal employees.

I believe there are many people who believe we should be working together and looking out for the good of each other. They just didn't see it through the eyes of making others financially better off. The days of a community working together to build one person's barn is a thing of the past. Well, almost a thing of the past. Working with others to build a successful network marketing business is the modern day equivalent of this kind of teamwork. And just as the farmer remained fully independent after the barn was built, he always knows that working with and serving others is a very rewarding experience.

Does Network Marketing Work for the Average Person?

I know of a couple that had almost gone bankrupt at the age of 63 from a business they had owned for 30 years. Within a year in my company they were making a wonderful living and after 5 years were millionaires.

In just the past three weeks, a 21 year old man, with no experience in this business made $4,000, won a trip to Costa Rica and a laptop computer by understanding and applying this simple foundational principle for success: just get 2 more people involved and help them get their 2. Not only did he do well in his first month but his 2 best friends also made $3,000 and will be joining him in Costa Rica.

Freedom Really is an Attainable Goal

This cooperative business model allows you to go where you want, decide how much you want to make and choose who you work with. No longer does anyone have to be tied to a job that doesn't allow them the freedom to live where they want. And no one has to be at risk because of decisions that are out of their control. Nor do they have to fear economic uncertainty since this model works well in good times and even better in difficult times.

The secret to success in this business is very simple: have great, proprietary products that people use regularly and a great compensation plan that can be easily explained to those who have little or no training in either sales or business.

Does this mean their isn't any work involved? Of course not. The business is not complicated but it isn't magic either. No successful business owner has ever accomplished anything without a good plan, good training and the willingness to follow through with their vision.

Most people shrink their dreams to match their income, few expand their incomes to match their dreams. Since we know that many hands make the work easier, why not choose to join a team of like minded business owners that have chosen to work cooperatively together for the purpose of making each other successful?

The secret to success is adding something positive to your life each and every day. Take 15 minutes to watch this presentation to see how dynamic and reproducible this model is and then take an action step to make it work for you.

How to Use the Bible

I think that understanding the purpose and value of a thing is extremely important. If I bought you a new car, and you thought that a car was to be used as a house, it wouldn't take more than a few days for your car to start stinking to high heavens.
Darrin Hufford has put into words some significant thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head for a number of years about the purpose and use of the Bible. You will either love what he has to say or you will hate it, and possibly a lit bit of both. No matter what, you will hear a perspective that needs to at least be talked about. I personally like reading things that resonate within me right away, but I don't want to be like the Pharissees who rejected Jesus because he didn't resonate within them nor could they hear a new thing simply because their system of applying the scriptures wouldn't allow them the freedom to do so. Sometimes it is simply a good thing to read something from a fresh and/or new perspective.

Here is a brief excerpt. This is where you can find his whole article, Christians and the Bible.

"Until you understand that cars are made for transportation, you will never truly experience its blessings. The same is true with the Bible. We have made declarations about it that have nothing to do with its real purpose and value. This false understanding of what the Bible is for has caused us to become a spiritually retarded generation. Christian chat rooms and forums are filled every day of the week with people machine-gunning Scriptures back and forth in heated debate. Some of us can't even talk normal anymore because our vocabulary is filled with King James' quotations. Authors can't even make a spiritual point without having to "back it up" with Scripture. It's pretty sad when Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit have to have a Scripture verse to back up a spiritual principal that even a child can understand. Unfortunately in today's Christian world we have been taught to think in Bible verses. We've become as soulless as computers."

Inner Circle - The Right Pieces Fitting Together

This is an excerpt from a blog by Darrin Hufford, titled The Church that Christ Built.

About two years ago I started taking a close look at my life and the lives of people around me. Everyone I know has their own personal circle of friends they hang out with. It may consist of family members, people from work, school, internet or their neighborhood. Every person I know has their "Inner Circle". It usually consists of between 5 to 10 people. They have other friends as well, but those people wouldn't be considered "Inner Circle" friends.

To be an "Inner Circle" friend, there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it's going to happen. You can't force it, plan it, cultivate it or even command it to take place; it literally blooms totally on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jell" together on a level of deepness that is not necessarily shared with others. It's almost as though they were made specifically with the other person in mind. In a realm only known to God Himself, these people fit together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I believe that they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect snug and tight. It's unexplainable and cannot be manufactured or re-created by human hands in a million years.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Today Matters

Today Matters
John C. Maxwell

We tend to linger too much in the past, dream too much about the future and yet we miss the only point in time that we have control over,

TODAY

12 Steps for Living In Today

1. Choose and display the right attitude

2. Determine and act on important priorities

3. Know and follow healthy guidelines

4. Communicate with and care for your family

5. Practice and develop good thinking

6. Make and keep proper commitments

7. Make and properly manage your money

8. Deepen and live out your spiritual faith

9. Initiate and invest in solid personal relationships

10. Plan for and model generosity

11. Embrace and practice good values

12. Seek out and embrace personal improvements.


"Decision making is way too overvalued.
Managing decisions is way too overlooked."

Recommended Reading by John Maxwell

Talent is Never Enough
Today Matters
Failing Forward
Put Your Dream to the Test

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

If Christianity was Illegal

Preposterous. Not if one considers history or some present day situations.

So what would happen if this became our reality?

That which is considered vital, would become unnecessary.
That which is considered optional and boring, would become vital.

Buildings would be confiscated by the government.
Large, weekly gatherings would no longer exist.
Church names would no longer exist.
Some (many?) would renounce Jesus for fear of losing their jobs and would turn in to the authorities those they had previously called brothers and sisters.

Doctrinal squabblings would be put on the back burner.
Bibles would no longer collect dust on shelves. They would either be thrown out or secretly preserved and read.

People would desire to meet often in small, passionate gatherings.
Each person would be hungering to share what they were hearing from God.
Jesus would be the central figure in these gatherings.
Many would make clear, public declarations that Jesus is their Saviour.
Some would go to jail.
Brothers and sisters would work together to help each other.

Would Christianity survive? Not as we know it.

Thank God, it is not illegal.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

How Important is Your Name?

Back in 2000, I chose to legally change my name to David. For those who knew me by my original name, it was difficult for them to make the switch. There was a reluctant desire to honor my wishes while at the same time struggling with the habit of using what they had known me as. They were actually very uncomfortable using my new name.

I even have a story about the misuse of my wife's name. I remember being quite embarrassed when I first started dating Terry. She was first introduced to me as Therese and yet on a bowling date, when I wrote her name that way, she corrected me and said it was Terry. How could I have been so stupid to have gotten her name wrong? Over the years it has always been somewhat embarrassing to me that even though I now know that her name really is Therese, that I can’t pronounce it accurately. My French is terrible and no matter how much I try I can’t seem to get the pronunciation quite right. I have defaulted to calling her Terry since it is just plain easier for us English folk. The truth be told she would rather be called Therese but with the right pronunciation.

As someone who has had a fair bit of exposure to diverse cultural names because of my job of teaching English as a Second Language, I have become even more aware of how we value our names. Some of my students actually choose, as my wife has done, to use an easier English name than their own personal name. It’s just too painful to hear their name pronounced poorly.

One of my Korean students from last year actually has fond memories of me as a teacher, not because I taught her so well, but because I was the only teacher that could pronounce her Korean name properly. I have another student that wanted me to use his real name. I had been mispronouncing it for some time and then, just last week, he came to me at the beginning of the class and in his very broken English, taught me to pronounce it properly. Every time I say his name now, a big smile comes on his face.

It seems our names are important and when they are forgotten or mispronounced we feel a little saddened.

The personal name of our creator is written YHWH in Hebrew and is pronounced Yahveh or Yahweh. I remember from my Hebrew classes that even though we are not 100% which one is the perfect pronunciation, the one pronunciation that it cannot be is Jehovah. Reducing YHWH to simply god or lord like the million other names that refer to others gods seems to miss the mark even more than simply mispronouncing it.

What is fascinating is that even though the personal name of our creator is Yahveh, Bible translators universally agreed to using the impersonal word LORD or God when translating YHWH. With the ease of fixing this poor translation because of advancements in technology, why have publishers not corrected this?

Why would we opt for an impersonal term like Lord or God when our creator’s personal name is used over 6,800 times in the Old Testament and 1,000 times in the New Testament? This literally makes His name no different than the myriads of other names that use the term god. It’s crazy that we have managed to commonly use statements like money is my god while at the same time having to use a meaningless statement like god is my god to refer to our heavenly father.

The third commandment states,
"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Exodus 20:7

The first commandment actually says his name is Yahveh Elohim.
In Hebrew it is actually stated this way,
“I am Yahveh your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” The Third Commandment states: “You shall not take the Name of Yahveh your Elohim in vain, for Yahveh will not leave him unpunished who takes His Name in vain.” Exodus 20: 2, 7.

Why have we chosen not to use it? Likely, you have simply been taught to use lord or god when referring to Him. You read your Bible and His name simply is there in spite the 6,800 that it is there in Hebrew. But once you know his name is Yahveh and you know he actually likes being referred to by his name, why would you continue to use the impersonal lord or god when referring to him?

The sad reality is that you would look like a kook amongst your Christian friends and they would think you have gone off the deep end. But is this a valid reason to ignore his wishes for the sake of the traditions of men?

If you were in another country, would you want someone calling you, Man or Woman, instead of using your name? How would you feel if they kept doing so once they knew your name? My kids can’t always refer to me as Pa when talking about me to someone else. But I would be very insulted if they chose to refer to me by something different than my own name.

Why would our heavenly Abba, Daddy, want to be referred to in the same impersonal way that all the supposed gods of this world are referred to, especially when he has clearly told us his personal name. Some will say that it is to make sure they don’t use his name in vain and are therefore afraid to say it. The third commandment does not say we can’t speak his name, simply that we aren’t to misuse it. If my children, were so afraid to call me Pa or Daddy, and called me Mr. Grant, I would feel that our relationship was weakened and not strengthened. On the other hand, when they were younger they tried the divide and conquer technique of lying between parents. They tried using my name and saying that I had said yes to some request, when their mother had asked them why they were doing something. In that case they needed to be very afraid of misusing my name.

I had to change my habit of mispronouncing a student’s name and friends have had to change how they referred to me simply because I asked them to. If we are willing to work at getting our friend's name right, why wouldn't we use the name that our creator wants us to know him by? The Hebrew scriptures tells us that his name is Yahveh. He would love you to use it.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Saying I Love You is NOT Enough

As a proud Canadian and a Christian, I have managed to insulate myself quite comfortably from helping my fellow man. I have been seduced into believing that everyone is being taken care of in our society through our social system. I am aware of the dysfunction of the system and yet somehow still managed to take comfort in it. This allowed me to focus on the "best" help that can be given to anyone by tithing to make sure we had a nice building in order for them to hear the gospel and accept Jesus as their Saviour. The primary purpose of giving in order to financially help/bless others is relatively new to me.

How did this happen? I have no one to blame except myself, but I would say that there were contributing factors that led to this deception.

When I became a Christian at 19, I immediately began to tithe to my church. I was taught that this was the appropriate application of giving generously. The fact that only a tiny fragment of those monies actually went to physically help anyone was not a concern for me. I assumed that the leadership in my church heard from God and knew what they were doing.

After being a Christian for about 2.5 years and having landed a decent production job at General Motors, I was doing well financially. I owned a house and had 2 children. I was then laid off from GM and was over my head with a mortgage that had jumped from 10% interest to 18% at that time. I even had a foreclosure letter from the bank. During that time of falling behind on my mortgage payments, I never fell behind on my tithing. Meanwhile, Terry was pregnant with our third child and the pressure on our marriage was mounting.

Even though everyone at church knew we were going through a very stressful time, we never received any financial help or counsel other than to remain faithful in our tithing. We do remember receiving a bag of groceries with a bag of dated, broken cookies in it. Terry simply cried because of this gift. I think that is when I finally broke down to my brother in law, about our financial dilemma and he went to the church leadership to see if any help was available. I was young, proud and very embarrassed. They did give us $500, which didn’t get us out of our foreclosure dilemma. I had given at least $5,000 to the church over the past couple of years and had remained faithful in giving. I even tithed on the $500 that they gave us. Fortunately, just before losing our house, I was recalled to GM and even ended up getting an apprenticeship as a toolmaker. Some would say, “See, tithing works.”

Even though we had gone through a serious crisis in our young marriage, I didn’t understand what John meant in 1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

A few years later, we had friends who were in a worse situation than we had been. The wife and mother of three was on chemo for cancer and the dad had lost his job because of a severe back disorder. They were a very nice couple and very positive but were truly up against the wall. I remember that they told us about having to “borrow” toilet paper from the church because they literally had no money.

It never dawned on me that perhaps I should divert my tithe to help them. We gave them a few bucks but I would certainly not have stolen from my tithe to do so. I know they did receive some anonymous help, which they were very thankful for. I have no idea if the church helped them at all. If they did, it was never talked about. In fact, I don’t ever remember a sermon from the following passage that put Christian love into a tangible perspective.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
1 John 3:16-20

I look back on those days and realize I had the opportunity to see something for what it really was. I don’t think anyone was purposely being cruel or hardhearted. We, and this included the leadership, were being faithful to what we were being taught about tithing. (There is a different interpretation on tithing that I have written on titled, Malachi 3.)

I find myself reading passages that I had virtually not comprehended about caring for others and I am dismayed that I missed such simple language and instructions about making money in order to provide for my family and others.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Ephesians 4:28

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "
Acts 20:32-35

It seems that in my zeal to do what I had been taught, I had become what Jesus said of the Pharisees.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Matthew 23:15

Perhaps what I regret the most about the tithing/offering model was that it depersonalized giving to such an extent that we missed the joy of seeing a single mom blessed with a new washing machine or sponsoring a third world orphan to go to university or whatever else the Lord would have put in Terry's and my heart to do. I was so busy giving to the church in "secret" (a sealed offering envelope) that I missed the opportunity of doing what Jesus said to do. "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."
John 16:9

The church system I was in did not put into practice, in any significant way, the basic message of demonstrating love by giving practically to others. I was quite proud of tithing to the church and teaching others to do the same. I literally loved our new building and being able to see our pastoral staff increase because of the great work we were doing. At the same time, friends had to steal toilet paper.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.
1 John 3:18-20

We don't have to look far for opportunities to bless and/or help others. If you don't know anyone close at hand don't miss the opportunities of giving to those further away who will die without our help.

You might want to consider spending $100 to buy 4 goats for someone in Kenya which will give them a livelihood for life.

Or you might consider Hands at Work. A prophetic ministry to widows and orphans in South Africa.

If you want to personalize your giving to those far away you can go to www.facelessbook.com to get to know someone who is definitely worse off than you.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Are You Prochoice?

I like to think that I have been prochoice for many years now. I have always thought people should have the right to make informed decisions. The challenge of course is how much information do we actively seek after in order to make those decisions. The reality is that we don’t always make choices from having all the information in front of us. Way too often we find ourselves making decisions for things other than truth issues.

Ironically, when it comes to church practices truth is often not a prime motivator for decision making. Political correctness and fitting in at church are generally higher priorities for people doing what they do.

Pastors are often guilty of how truth is presented. They give their interpretation and don’t allow for other points of view to be expressed. In some ways, they are like college professors, with lots of experience, who have learned how to handle questions from naive 18 year olds. More often that not, issues that have varied interpretations are not allowed to be discussed openly, allowing parishioners to make up their own mind.

This happened in 1906, with what Pentecostals would call the re-emergence of the acceptance of the gifts of the spirit. When the early Pentecostals had these life enhancing experiences they believed they would be able to go back to whatever churches they belonged to and bring them the fuller message of the gospel. History tells us they were severely chastised for bringing that kind of disruption to the group that they had faithfully been a part of. They didn’t plan to form into a new church, they just didn’t think they had other options.

Ironically, Pentecostal pastors would not allow things I write about in this blog, like tithing is not for today, offerings should primarily be used for the care of the less fortunate, pastors shouldn’t get paid or the Lord's supper is best practiced in homes as a meal, to be discussed openly within their church.

It seems that truth is in the eye of the pastor and it is his job to control his perspective on truth within his congregation. People are not given the chance to hear other points of view from the very pulpit that they pay for.

The mark of a great pastor these days is that he is able to get a large group of people to do what he wants. The goal of equipping believers to stand on their own two feet is usually not a primary consideration. Consequently, the label of being narrow minded can be easily attached to most church groups since they don’t allow differing viewpoints to be expressed openly and honestly. Generally, people are happy with this system, since it requires little brainpower from them and gives a semblance of peace.

Prochoice is definitely not highly valued within most churches that I am aware of. And I am sure that I have blinders on that I am not aware of. That's why we need each other without the stifling confines of aligning ourselves with group think or a single interpretation.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Going to Church and Being Friends

Perhaps, the most revolutionary social idea that Jesus taught and practiced while on Earth was that God wants to be friends with us. Surprisingly it is grasped by very few of God's people. An even more threatening idea is that He also wants us to be friends with each other.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:9-17

I’ve done some informal surveys of people who go to church regarding their friendships in church. When asked, “Do you have many friends at church.” The answer was an emphatic, “Yes.” When asked what they did with these friends outside of a planned church activity the answer for many was “nothing.”

The glue that holds the friendship together is a church activity that required very little personal interaction with their friends. Often it was simply the 5-10 minutes of social interaction before and after a meeting that generally centered on the weather, the economy or sports. Obviously, I’m writing as a guy since the women would also talk about how the family is doing.

Friendships at church aren’t based on common interests or mutual building one another up. In fact, most members don’t know each other outside of a planned meeting context. Drop the meeting, drop the friendship is the golden rule of church membership.

Most people at church don’t know what is really going on in each others lives. Could we say as Jesus did, that everything we have learned from our heavenly Father, we have made known to our friends? Or is it more like, everything the pastor has ever known is quoted by the people.

There is a quiet, unobserved isolation that all too often, happens at church. Most people don’t realize it until they are in a marital, financial or health crisis. In many congregations you could quietly stop going and nobody would even notice. However, heaven help you if did something wrong because everyone would know that. In fact, some churches make you stand in front of the congregation to let them know the error of your ways. This is obviously done for mutual edification.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some real friendships in the institutional church, it simply means that most don’t experience them because of the institutional church model.

Jesus defines friendships by how he related to his disciples. 15”I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.” In other words, friends know what is going on in each others lives.

John goes on to write about friendship in a way that was to define Jesus’ church. 16”This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
1 John 3:16-19

The sharing of possessions with those in need is a very tangible measurement of our love that cannot be fudged with spiritual jargon like, I'll pray for you. I was in an institutional church for 25+ years, tithed faithfully and yet I rarely practiced this kind of personalized giving, either as a layman and definitely not as a pastor. It simply never occurred to me or anyone that I was "friends" with. In fact, people rarely give these days if there is not a donation receipt attached to the giving and it is illegal to give to a specific person and get a receipt. (Pastors and single person ministries are the exception to this law.)

My guess is that in building centered churches as opposed to the friendship centered church, that even though we are in the greatest economic collapse since the great depression, we will not hear of institutional churches selling off holdings, stopping building programs and consolidating resources in order to make sure all of its members get through this.

Many people are praying for revival these days. The greatest revival would be one in which we get back to simply being friends with each other and learning to lay our lives and finances down for each other.